INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS POLICY

VISION AND GOALS FOR ANINDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

SYSTEMS POLICY FOR SOUTHAFRICA

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF IKS IN SOUTH AFRICA

• Audit of Indigenous Technologies between 1996 and 1998; Portfolio Committee instrumental in the support and advancement of IKS

• Involvement of the CSIR and 9 Universities in the Audit; Each university conducted its own Provincial Workshop to report on its findings

• First National Workshop on IKS at University of North West: September 1998 (jointly organized by the Portfolio Committee, DACST, and the CSIR; Supported by other stakeholders)

IKS IN DST

• Establishment of Ministerial task team to Draft Legislation and Policy on IKS in 1999

• Delegations by Task Team to India and China in 1999 – 2000 to learn about IKS in the two countries

• Provision of ring-fenced funding to the NRF for research in IKS since 2000

• Establishment of Unit dedicated to IKS within the Department of Science and Technology in 2001

OBJECTIVES OF THE IKS UNIT

• Undertake an intra and extra departmental audit, as well as an audit of international IKS activities and processes.

• Actively participate/engage in regional and international IKS activities• Actively co-ordinate national IKS interventions and projects and link

relevant ones to international efforts• Developing and implementing IKS legislation, policy and strategy• Providing mechanisms and infra-structure for the codification,

documentation and preservation of IKS knowledge and technologies• Promoting research, monitoring and evaluation of IKS• Promoting and developing IKS within the National Systems of Innovation• Providing mechanisms for the development and management of IKS

database

IKS POLICY

• Key Policy Drivers – 4

• Role and Involvement of other Departments in IKS and related Activities

Key Policy drivers in the South African context

• Affirmation of African cultural values in the face of globalisation

• Development of the services provided by Indigenous Knowledge Holders and Practitioners

• Contribution of indigenous knowledge to the economy

• Interfacing with other knowledge systems

Affirmation of African cultural values in the face of

globalisation• Redress

– The recognition and protection of indigenous knowledge and IKS in South Africa for cultural reasons .

– Knowledge institutions created during the apartheid era and before it are still in the process of being transformed to give expression to an African intellectual personality.

– The Policy seeks to creatively advance the course of IKS within the context of complex economic, social and cultural rights.

Globalisation

• With South Africa’s re-entry into the global arena, there are both opportunities and challenges for the prudent management of IKS.

• An indicator of the serious effect of globalisation is the rapid attrition of language diversity across the world.

• IKS policy framework places great emphasis on the promotion of international linkages in IKS from the perspective of sharing best practice and commitment to common objectives

Development of Services Provided by Traditional Healers

• In Africa up to 80% of the population uses traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs.

• According to WHO, the most important issues affecting the practice of traditional medicine fall into four categories,National policy and regulatory frameworks, safety, efficacy and quality, Access,and rational use.

• There is a need to intensify R&D work in this area, particularly as it relates to recording the IKS and supporting traditional healers on safety and accessibility.

RELATED DEVELOPMENTS IN IKS

• DOH: Traditional Health Practitioners Bill• DEAT: Biodiversity Bill• DPLG: Traditional Leadership and Governance

Framework Bill• DTI: IKS and IPR Policy• DST: Project on ‘Development of a Traditional

Medicines Database for South Africa’• MRC: Mapping of Traditional Healers in South

Africa, starting with Kwazulu-Natal

Contribution of Indigenous

Knowledge to the economy • In South Africa IKS are “owned” by and provide services to

disadvantaged people who are prone to unemployment.

• Consideration is given to the role that IKS can play in employment creation, poverty alleviation and technology transfer.

• In deploying the economic potential of IKS, three main factors are considered: the creation of incentive mechanisms to promote IKS innovation; the promotion of IKS in the context of sustainable development, the promotion of IKS as an employment creator.

Interfacing with other

knowledge systems • International trade in genetic resources

involves high economic stakes today eg. the sale of drugs based on traditional medicines alone amounts to over US$ 32 billion a year.

• From the perspective of national competitiveness, systems of knowledge that are less accessible to others offer a potential competitive advantage.

IKS AND THE POLICY POSITION ON THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF ED AND INNOVATION FOR SOUTH AFRICA

 • The policy emphasizes the importance of the integration of IKS in Education and the necessity for the closer working relations between DST and DOE on IKS and the curriculum.

• Although it would be ideal for IKS to become holistically integrated into mainstream Innovation Systems, a first step would be to ensure the development of adequate government intervention on behalf of IKS, in establishing the infrastructure .

STAKEHOLDERS

• Role of the Private Sector-capacity building developments

• Role of Traditional Leaders -recognition afforded by the Constitution and other legislation unfolding in South Africa

• Role of IKS Holders- holders of core competencies and knowledge, includes local farmers, elders, traditional healers etc

• Role of Women in IKS -as repositories of a large part of IK . It is envisaged that the SA Reference Group on Women in S&T will create a focal point on Women and IK.

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

• A National Office on IKS -as a possible precursor to an IKS regulatory mechanisms, initially housed at DST.

• A National Advisory Committee -to support the department in policy analysis as well as in respect of advice on all matters on IKS.

THE PRINCIPLES FOR FUNDING

IKS • It is recognised that IK system outputs and IK

policy objectives are strongly facilitated by appropriate funding instruments.

• Funding in research is to receive priority.

• Establishment of the IKS Fund

IKS FUNDING

• Allocation of ring-fenced funds to the NRF since 2000

• Review of the IKS activities at the NRF in March 2004

• DST and NRF to meet soon to explore the recommendations of the Review Panel and determine the way forward.

• iIKSSA: Seed funding since 2002/2003 Financial Year

INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL

IMPERATIVES • Integrating IKS Policy with other

national Policies. • Protection of IKS- in terms of intellectual

property rights• Institutional Infrastructure- WIPO, ARIPO

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS IN IKS

There is an increasing international trend towards recognizing the value of IK and the advantages it provides.

• BRAZIL, INDIA and the PHILIPPINES (and other countries) recognize, respect and protect indigenous community's rights with respect to traditional knowledge associated to genetic resources.

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has organized a series of meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore; Meetings

• In March 2004 the Africa Group made a proposal about the principles and elements of an international instrument on intellectual property at the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

• Department of Trade and Industry• Department of Arts and Culture• Department of Agriculture• Department of Health• Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism• Department of Education• Department of Foreign affairs• Department of Land Affairs• Department of Provincial and Local Government• Department of Water Affairs and Forestry• Department of Sports and RecreationInterdepartmental Committee on IKS – has been in place since 2002

CAPACITY BUILDING AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

• Development of IKS Human Resource Capacity

• Links with the National Innovation strategy

• Equity through redress • Public understanding and awareness of

of IKS

ESTABLISHMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF IKS

 • Databases

• Role of Libraries • Museums • Oral forms of IK • IKS Laboratories • IKS Centres

CONCLUSION• IKS offers many opportunities to SA and its people:

- Poverty Reduction- Innovation in various fields- Competitiveness

• SA has already made progress in developing IKS related legislation. The Policy will help to:- coordinate focus of initiatives- create appropriate linkages- lead to improved impact

• IKS Policy will guide and add to regional, continental and international collaborations and initiatives, e.g. SADC, NEPAD, IBSA